Other than a trip which might get the odd mention I will detail projects I am working on, what I want to be working on and what I have otherwise to report on.
I will update the individual projects as they advance.
As asked I have started to catalogue the references I have follow the link on the left where you can obtain them too. Want to email me wander over to qrz.com and you'll find my email address there. Also twitter @m1kta_qrp

Anyway I was invited by Michael Clarke MI5MTC to visit with a home brew display (similar to GQRP Rishworth) and I will also take a collection of the latest SDR home brew radio kits you can obtain (I am a beta builder for a couple of kit suppliers) along with the latest software from Simon HB9DRV, he wrote Ham Radio Deluxe you might know already.

I plan to have built and kit versions of a couple of the SDR radios for sale with me (I will not sell over the internet) and as Simon will have added support for the Softrock SDR (Si570 USB) just the week or so before hand this might be the first opportunity many will have to see it running live.

Hopefully in time for the rally I am already prototyping a little interface (all suggestions welcome) that will allow one of these SDR RX to be added into an old TXRX (or just TX) even valve radio like my own 6V6 TX.

The E licence has not arrived yet but will be qrv in Ireland on the trip as driving from Cambridge and will be on the ferry to Dublin and hoping to do a loop through all the counties of Ireland. (Yes know could be E/M1KTA/P as well as CEPT allowed)

2 comments:

Stewart
said...

Hello there !I am just after checking out the details of the Lough Erne Radio rally - and I am absolutely thrilled to hearof yourself and Rev.George Dobbs coming over to the rally - it would be terrific to see homebrew gear and get to talk with legendary homebrewers like yourself. I have a huge interest in hombrew and QRP-I have never being at a QRP event , so this should be something really special. Getting the correct components here in Ireland is a difficult and quite expensive process- thank goodness for ebay:)The thing i hate in QRP is Toroids- I cannot get them here grrr...!!! I am a 19 yr. old student - so QRP & homebrew suits my pocket !!! It was homebrew that gave me the passion to learn more about electronics and to go and study electronics in college.I am really looking forward to seeing your kits and homebrew gear.I will be counting the days !Best Reguards,StewartIreland

Operating location from a top in alps c2600m

Now this was a perfect SOTA location, I stayed on top overnight and used the flag pole to my right to support a 40m/20m dipole, you can see the fixture I connected to, the little ring clamp, as soon as the cable car stopped for the night out came the radio gear, it even snowed! If I had taken 2m yagi would have been amazing location as line of sight was > 80miles, the Eiger and Jungfau (Bernese Oberland group) are in the photo over my right shoulder. Temp dropped to below minus 15 but the morning operating the grey line was fun 100 or so QSO SSB qrp as HB9/M1KTA/P.